Teacher by day, Farmer by passion
Chapter 256 - 256: Little Aoki [2]

Right on cue, Liu Mei barreled into view, panting and full of urgency.

"Master! Master!" she huffed, panting as she reached him.

Ace gave her head a gentle rub, the way a father might calm an excited child. "What's up, Mei'er?"

She caught her breath, her cheeks puffed with frustration. "Have you seen little Aoki?! He ran off again!"

"Oh," Ace said, glancing in the direction the bear had vanished. He casually lifted his hand and pointed. "That way."

"Thank you!!" Liu Mei shouted, already taking off again like a blur of wind and energy. Her voice echoed down the path.

"Little Aokiii!! You get back here right now!!"

Ace watched her disappear over the hill, lips tugging into a smile.

He shook his head, a chuckle escaping.

"That poor bear," he muttered. "Bound by soul, tormented by energy. If I were him, I'd already be praying for an early reincarnation."

Ace wandered back toward the creaky wooden chair set beneath the shade of the old, sprawling tree.

The branches arched wide above him, swaying gently in the breeze, casting cool, dappled shadows.

Before him stretched a sea of golden corn, dancing in the wind like waves on a sunlit ocean.

When he arrived, he spotted Ruby already there, seated cross-legged on the ground with a pen in one hand and a stack of paper on her lap.

"Brother," she said without looking up, her voice light.

Ace gave her a quiet nod, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smile.

With a slow sigh of contentment, he sat down in the chair, biting down on a piece of long grass, then took off his straw hat and placed it down on the grass.

For a moment, he just let the breeze play across his face.

He peeked over at her. "So… how's life?"

"It's fun," Ruby said with a gentle smile, scribbling something on the page. "I'm working on the new chapter."

Ace leaned slightly forward, curious. "That's the new one? The one you said was about a scammer in a fantasy world?"

"Mhm. Grand Elder Akha told me I wasn't allowed to kill off the main character this time."

She gave a sheepish laugh, bright and musical. "She's still traumatized about my last book."

Ace chuckled quietly, letting the sound blend with the rustling corn.

His eyes drifted to the horizon. The sun was starting to dip, painting the sky in hues of amber and soft lavender.

"Ruby," he said softly, "look at the sunset. It's beautiful today."

She glanced up from her papers, the warm light catching in her eyes.

A peaceful smile touched her lips. "Brother," she said, "I wonder how you changed so much."

Ace tilted his head toward her, raising an eyebrow. "Must've been puberty."

Ruby opened her mouth to respond when a massive explosion boomed in the distance, shaking the ground beneath them.

Ruby blinked, then turned toward the sound casually.

"What's going on there? An attack?"

Ace sighed with a wry grin. "Very unlikely. I saw Tushan chasing that poor bear toward that hill earlier."

"oh okay... So, brother…" Ruby began, twirling her pen idly between her fingers, "what are your plans for Liu Mei and Shan Yifeng?"

Ace leaned back in his creaky chair, watching the sun dip just a little lower, casting golden streaks across the fields.

He let out a soft sigh.

"The Divine Library still isn't working," he said, voice low with thought. "I haven't found a single clue on how to even approach the Deity Step… not yet."

There was a pause, quiet but comfortable.

"Umm, brother… ahem—Master."

The sudden shift in tone made Ace turn his head, raising an eyebrow at her. She rarely called him that unless it was serious.

"I want to enter seclusion," Ruby said, her voice steady but laced with quiet intensity. "To reach Legend Rank... I need more than talent, I need clarity."

A slow smile tugged at Ace's lips. There was pride in his eyes, hidden just beneath the calm.

"Permission granted, my disciple," he said with mock solemnity, then added with warmth, "Take some spirit apples with you. They'll help."

Ruby grinned. "Thank you, Master. And… you should too."

Ace nodded, touched by the gesture. "I will. Thanks, sister."

She gave him a quick, affectionate glance before returning to her writing, her brush dancing once more across the parchment.

Ace stood, brushing off his robes as he made his way down the gentle slope toward the cornfield.

The wind had picked up slightly, making the tall stalks rustle like whispered secrets.

"I just wanted to farm," he thought with a chuckle.

His smile lingered as he walked between the rows of gold as he made his way along the path toward the hill, he came across a group of teenagers dressed in simple white sect robes.

They were carrying baskets, their steps light and faces bright.

"Sect Leader!" they greeted in unison, bowing with cheerful respect.

"Out delivering this week's grains?", Ace asked when he saw them.

One of the girls laughed. "We do this every day, Sect Leader, twice, both in the morning and in the evening."

Ace blinked. "Every day? Why not just carry a week's worth and be done with it? There's plenty of you."

"Well…" she hesitated, then continued, "Master Xi Chun says we should do it daily."

"Did she say why?" Ace asked, curious.

The girl's smile turned a touch bittersweet.

"Yes, Sect Leader. She says that if we leave too much, the strong might take it from the weak," the girl said softly. "So we bring just enough, cook it with them, and make sure everyone eats. It's... slower. But safer."

Ace paused, then nodded slowly. "That's thoughtful. You all have good masters."

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

He glanced at the heavy baskets. "But don't you ever get tired?"

A boy in the back laughed. "Tired? Sect Leader, we're raised on spirit milk, spirit rice, and spirit eggs. We're basically immortal until dinner time."